For a long time now I’ve been puzzled about why companies will say, in their ads, websites or mission statements that they “Exceed customer expectations.”

Why do they settle for this weak claim that’s impossible to quantify, and is so commonly used by companies in every industry that it’s evolved into a cliche? Continue reading →

Typical corporate brainstorms usually start off with at least one hand tied behind them. Most of them I’m aware of start with an open forum of free interchange stimulated by a moderator who knows a lot abut stimulating un-rooted ideas, and little or nothing about the client sponsor’s business. Continue reading →

I joined a client at one of these brainstorm exercises in a Harvard Square facility run by “Ideation Facilitation Specialists”, and here’s how it worked.

Following the free wheeling brainstorming, everyone swarmed the original sheets, picked the 3 they judged to be the best out of 1100-some, went back to their places and filled out 3 new slips with the ones they selected. They all went up to the front again, and filled up a new paper sheet with well over 100 of the ideas hijacked from the original sheets. Continue reading →